Young families, senior citizens and local emergency medical personnel alike say that now is the time for a new hospital, and southern McHenry County is where it belongs. They’re right.The debate over where to put a new hospital is about more than just two towns: Huntley and Crystal Lake. It’s about the regions where those towns are located. As a whole, southern McHenry County has less access to hospital care, even with its growing population.Three existing hospitals are located in the county’s north and central areas, already serving Woodstock, McHenry and Crystal Lake. In fact, our Woodstock campus is within 1.4 miles of a Crystal Lake zip code, and McHenry Hospital is within 2.6 miles of a Crystal Lake zip code. Residents living near Huntley are indeed “Medically Underserved.”  Our proposal would close this gap and bring improved access to these tens of thousands of residents.Looking ahead, the need for a hospital in southern McHenry County will only grow in the years to come. Huntley’s population is projected to grow at 12 percent from 2010-2015, while Lake in the Hills and Algonquin are projected to grow at 10.2 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively, for that same time period.It is clear to all of us who live in McHenry County that Huntley is at the heart of the growth and is the ideal location for a new hospital in southern McHenry County. From the widening of Route 47 to the planning for a $70 million interchange at Route 47 and I-90, Huntley will remain at the epicenter of growth and economic development for years to come.A new hospital at Reed Road and Haligus Road in Huntley would also be close to home for residents of northern Kane County. Numbers from the state show a need for hospital beds not only in McHenry County, but in Kane County too.Since we announced our plans for Centegra Hospital-Huntley, we have heard an outpouring of support from local residents, especially those living in Del Webb’s Sun City. This is a significant senior population with increasing healthcare needs. The community’s 9,000 residents are thrilled by the prospect of a hospital right down the street.We are confident that our long-term vision for this region is the right one, and our commitment dates back 100 years. Since we opened our Centegra Immediate Care facility in Huntley in 2008, thousands of residents from Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Hampshire and surrounding communities have benefited from top-notch healthcare and wellness services right in their own backyard. We have those residents in mind as we propose this hospital, and with the resources of an integrated health system, state-of-the-art specialty care is always on hand.Centegra Health System currently employs more than 3,700 associates and will welcome 1,100 more with this hospital. This project would have an economic impact of $152 million and bring more than 800 new construction jobs to the community.We are also proud to be a leading provider of charity care in the area, and we also provided more than $53 million in community benefits to the region in FY2010.Centegra has already received approval from the Village of Huntley to build a hospital on our campus. With state approval, we will immediately proceed with final engineering and design components. We want to be smart with your healthcare resources, spending them only when they are needed. Our timeline for construction is a realistic one, and we anticipate seeing our first patients in 2015.We look forward to being on the leading edge of medical advancements in this region for many years to come. On behalf of the entire Centegra family, it is our privilege to serve you and your family.   For more information about our Centegra Hospital-Huntley proposal, visit CentegraHospitalHuntley.org.Michael S. EesleyCEO, Centegra Health System